Why They Rise up, or Not A Study of Linguistic Minorities and Ethnic-National Mobilization
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2013
Location
Room E101, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-20-2013 10:00 AM
End Date
4-20-2013 11:00 AM
Disciplines
Political Science
Abstract
Most theories of nationalism focus on majority nationalism and do not provide an adequate explanation of the inaction of most ethnic minorities. The first part of this paper adopts the political process model from social movement theory to study the factors that prompt linguistic minorities to mobilization on ethno-national grounds. Using a large-N statistical model with data drawn from the Minority at Risk database, the results indicate that the higher capacity, the more opportunity for action, and the better the issue is framed, the more likely linguistic minorities would mobilize. Applying these findings, a most similar system design is used in the second part of the paper to compare the Uzbek minorities in Central Asia and the Uyghur minorities in China. The study shows that population density and distribution, the existence of a titular state, and the formation of cultural identity are the key factors that had influenced their decisions of mobilizing or not.
Why They Rise up, or Not A Study of Linguistic Minorities and Ethnic-National Mobilization
Room E101, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Most theories of nationalism focus on majority nationalism and do not provide an adequate explanation of the inaction of most ethnic minorities. The first part of this paper adopts the political process model from social movement theory to study the factors that prompt linguistic minorities to mobilization on ethno-national grounds. Using a large-N statistical model with data drawn from the Minority at Risk database, the results indicate that the higher capacity, the more opportunity for action, and the better the issue is framed, the more likely linguistic minorities would mobilize. Applying these findings, a most similar system design is used in the second part of the paper to compare the Uzbek minorities in Central Asia and the Uyghur minorities in China. The study shows that population density and distribution, the existence of a titular state, and the formation of cultural identity are the key factors that had influenced their decisions of mobilizing or not.